Input through sensing of user-applied forces
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system comprising:
- a rigid body with a first edge and a second edge, the first edge being parallel to the second edge;
at least one force sensor;
an analyzer arranged to determine a resultant force applied to the rigid body based on outputs from the at least one force sensor; and
a mapping module arranged to map the resultant force to a user input to the system, the resultant force comprising;
a first rotational force applied to the first edge of the rigid body; and
a second rotational force applied to the second edge of the rigid body, the first rotational force and the second rotational force being applied in opposite directions along a latitudinal axis of the rigid body that is perpendicular to the first edge and the second edge.
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Abstract
Methods and devices for providing a user input to a device through sensing of user-applied forces are described. A user applies forces to a rigid body as if to deform it and these applied forces are detected by force sensors in or on the rigid body. The resultant force on the rigid body is determined from the sensor data and this resultant force is used to identify a user input. In an embodiment, the user input may be a user input to a software program running on the device. In an embodiment the rigid body is the rigid case of a computing device which includes a display and which is running the software program.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a rigid body with a first edge and a second edge, the first edge being parallel to the second edge; at least one force sensor; an analyzer arranged to determine a resultant force applied to the rigid body based on outputs from the at least one force sensor; and a mapping module arranged to map the resultant force to a user input to the system, the resultant force comprising; a first rotational force applied to the first edge of the rigid body; and a second rotational force applied to the second edge of the rigid body, the first rotational force and the second rotational force being applied in opposite directions along a latitudinal axis of the rigid body that is perpendicular to the first edge and the second edge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. One or more tangible device-readable media with device-executable instructions for performing acts comprising:
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detecting forces applied to a rigid body including a polymer sheet, a light source, and a light detector; determining a resultant force on the rigid body based in part on an amount of rotation of polarization of light from the light source passing through the polymer sheet that is detected by the light detector; and identifying a user input based on the resultant force. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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detecting a resultant force occurring in a rigid body of a device due to a plurality of user applied forces, the forces related to pulling opposing ends of the rigid body device away from each other; mapping the resultant force to a user input to the device; and defining the resultant force in terms of a set of input force actions, wherein mapping the resultant force to the user input to the device comprises mapping the resultant force to the user input based on a definition of the resultant force in terms of the set of input force actions and based on a magnitude of the resultant force. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification